Opening Laps: Norris Sets Initial Pace. The first practice session at Imola saw Lando Norris initially take the lead. Driving on the new C6 compound Soft tyres, Norris clocked a time of 1:17.125 in the early stages of the hour-long session. This marked the debut of Pirelli’s softest tyre compound for this season.
Mercedes Challenge: Russell Briefly Tops, Piastri Responds. George Russell in his Mercedes then moved to the forefront with a lap of 1:16.599. However, Piastri quickly responded. Shortly after the session reached its halfway point, the Australian driver pushed his McLaren to the top of the timing sheets with a lap of 1:16.545.
McLaren Duel: Norris Closes Gap but Falls Short. Norris then embarked on another flying lap. His first attempt left him just under two-tenths of a second behind his teammate. Although his second run was quicker, it wasn’t enough to surpass Piastri’s time. At the end of the session, Norris’s best lap of 1:16.577 placed him a mere 0.032 seconds adrift of Piastri.
Sainz Impresses: Third Despite No Upgrades. Carlos Sainz delivered a strong performance for Williams, securing third place. Remarkably, the Williams F47 is one of the few cars on the grid that has not received any upgrades for the first European round of the 2025 season. The Spaniard’s lap of 1:16.597 put him just five-hundredths of a second behind the leading McLaren.
Mercedes Split: Russell in Fourth, Antonelli Further Back. George Russell ended the session as the highest-placed Mercedes driver in fourth, only 0.002 seconds behind Sainz. His teammate, Kimi Antonelli, making his Formula 1 debut at his home circuit, finished the session in 12th position.
Hamilton’s Struggles: Fifth for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, finished in fifth place. However, the British driver reported difficulties with the braking of his SF-25 at certain points on the circuit. Ferrari has introduced revised rear suspension elements for this race at Imola.
Alpine Gains: Gasly Sixth with Upgraded Car. Alpine has brought upgrades to their A525, including a reprofiled front wing and a new engine cover. Pierre Gasly capitalized on these improvements, finishing the session in sixth place, just 0.151 seconds behind Piastri.
Verstappen Unhappy: Seventh Despite Red Bull Upgrades. Reigning champion Max Verstappen finished the session in seventh. Despite upgrades to the rear suspension and engine cover of his Red Bull RB21, the Dutchman expressed his dissatisfaction with the car’s balance, stating to his team that he lacked confidence in the rear.
Williams Double Points: Albon in Eighth. Alexander Albon in the second Williams car secured eighth place in the practice session.
Sauber in Top Ten: Bortoleto and Hulkenberg Round Out. The Sauber duo of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten, finishing ninth and tenth respectively.
Red Flag Incident: Bortoleto Crash Halts Session. However, Bortoleto’s positive start to the weekend was overshadowed in the final minutes of the session. The Brazilian driver lost control of his Sauber as he entered the first Rivazza corner. He went off track and collided with the barriers, bringing out the red flags and prematurely ending the session two minutes before the scheduled finish.
Free Practice 1 Results:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes) – 1:16.545
- Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes) – 1:16.577 (+0.032)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes) – 1:16.597 (+0.052)
- George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:16.599 (+0.054)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1:16.641 (+0.096)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Renault) – 1:16.696 (+0.151)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Honda RBPT) – 1:16.905 (+0.360)
- Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes) – 1:16.922 (+0.377)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber/Ferrari) – 1:16.925 (+0.380)
- Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber/Ferrari) – 1:16.998 (+0.453)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin/Mercedes) – 1:17.032 (+0.487)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:17.077 (+0.532)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:17.094 (+0.549)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Mercedes) – 1:17.121 (+0.576)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT) – 1:17.286 (+0.741)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull/Honda RBPT) – 1:17.356 (+0.811)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Renault) – 1:17.373 (+0.828)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari) – 1:17.446 (+0.901)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT) – 1:17.641 (+1.096)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari) – 1:17.662 (+1.117)
Summary: Oscar Piastri topped the first practice session at Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, closely followed by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris. Carlos Sainz put in an impressive performance for Williams in third. The session was brought to an early end due to a crash by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto. Several teams, including Ferrari and Alpine, introduced upgrades for this European race.
Disclaimer: Results are from the first free practice session and do not necessarily reflect the final outcome of the race weekend.
Source: FIA
AI Assistance: Gemini